Songs that Make Me Happy

15 Songs that Make Me Happy Angelina (1945) – Louis Prima Papa Loves Mambo (1954) – Perry Como Paperback Writer (1966) – The Beatles Oh Happy Day (1967) – The Edith Hawkins Singers Our House (1970) – Crosby, Stills & Nash Oye Como Va (1971) – Santana Call Me Al (1986) – Paul Simon 500 Miles (1988) – The Proclaimers Just a Little Talk With Jesus (1996) – Donnie McClurkin Brighter Day (2002) – Kirk Franklin The Best is Yet to Come (2002) – Donald Lawrence Oh Praise Him (2003) – David Crowder Band Pure (2005) – Superchick Happy (2006) Ayiesha Woods Say Hey (2008) – Michael Franti

What does it mean to be in the world but not of it? (See John 17:14-19.) At one time, my go-to response to that question would have been a list of behavioral do’s and don’ts. I’ve revised my thinking since then, thankfully. While Christians are called to live a sanctified life, we can easily fall out of balance when we focus our energies on outward cleanliness and neglect what’s inside (see Matthew 23:25-26). I wish I’d grasped that revelation instead of a pair of scissors a few years ago when I sanctified my music collection. As a shy child who rarely connected with kids my age, my parents played the most influential role in shaping my music preferences. They both enjoyed the chart-toppers they’d grown up with in the 60’s and 70’s. My dad’s tastes were a bit more eclectic, though, in that he also loved classic jazz, 80’s hits, and pretty much anything with a dance beat in a foreign language.